Weymouth mayor: Give trash system a try before buying second barrel

At an informational meeting Tuesday night on Weymouth's new trash program, which aims to push residents to recycle more and throw away less, Mayor Susan Kay said residents will be able to get a second 64-gallon trash barrel. But anyone opting for the second barrel will have to pay $150 a year on top of the $100 annual trash fee.

At an informational meeting Tuesday night on the town’s new trash program, which aims to push residents to recycle more and throw away less, Mayor Susan Kay said residents will be able to get a second 64-gallon trash barrel. But anyone opting for the second barrel will have to pay $150 a year on top of the $100 annual trash fee.

Under the new automated trash pickup program that begins Monday, each household gets a pair of wheeled 64-gallon bins – one for trash and one for recycling. Some residents have complained that large families will not be able to fit all their trash in one barrel.

Kay urged residents to give the program a try before getting a second barrel.

“Please give it a try,” she said. “I know big families are nervous. If they absolutely can’t do it, they’ll have to get another barrel.”

Still, many in the crowd of about 100 people in the Abigail Adams Middle School auditorium grabbed applications for an additional barrel on their way out.

“Really, what this does is just pass on a tax to large families,” said resident Rob Cuoco, who said he has a family of five and will probably end up having to pay for a second barrel.

Braintree residents voiced similar concerns at a meeting Tuesday night on that town’s new automated trash program.

Weymouth’s new system is part of a five-year contract with EZ Disposal Service of Revere that began July 1. The new bins can be picked up and dumped out into the back of an automated trash truck.

Residents can get a second recycling barrel for $50 a year. The new trash system calls for weekly recycling, whereas recyclables were picked up every other week under the old system.

The town’s trash budget is $5.2 million this year.

Residents were able to submit questions in writing but could not ask them directly during Tuesday’s meeting. Many worried that a single trash barrel would be too small for large families, that the bins would be too large for senior citizens and that the new program would lead to illegal dumping.

Still, several residents said they were satisfied after hearing more about the new system, including opportunities to get additional barrels or swap them for smaller ones.

“There’s a very easy way to have less trash,” resident Leo Lisinski said on his way out. “Don’t produce as much.”